Facilities

The TMA Department has several facilities and resources available to support student instruction. The Harris Fine Arts Center (HFAC) houses three theatres used for student productions and instruction. To schedule one of the theatres listed below or a room in the HFAC, call the HFAC Scheduling Office at 801-422-3002.

Media Arts Facilities

Theatre Facilities

Pardoe Theatre

The Pardoe Theatre is essentially a laboratory for the application of production theory, and provides the venue for the Pardoe Series of productions. Virtually any type of production is technically feasible on its large stage with a proscenium opening of 19 by 55 feet. It seats 500 people. The largest of the three theatres, the Pardoe Theatre is named for T. Earl and Kathryn Pardoe; a husband-wife team who contributed immeasurably to speech and dramatic arts. T. Earl Pardoe was chairman of the Speech Department at BYU from 1919 to 1928, and again from 1931 to 1952, when he retired. He and his wife Kathryn taught thousands of BYU drama students during their years here, and left a valuable and lasting legacy.

Margetts Theatre

The Margetts Theatre is a black box theatre, designed to allow flexibility of audience seating and staging. It is home to the Margetts Series of productions each theatre season, and provides a venue for experimental and original scripts. Measuring 30 by 50 feet, the Margetts Theatre seats approximately 125 people. The Margetts Theatre was named for Philip N. Margetts, a leading figure in Utah theatre during the late 1800s and early 1900s. Philip Margetts was a cast member in the first play produced in the Old Bowery in 1851 and organized the first stock company in Utah. His success in organizing the Mechanics Dramatic Association so impressed President Brigham Young that he made immediate plans for the construction of the Salt Lake Theatre. Margetts performed in leading roles for over fifty years.

Nelke Experimental Theatre

The Nelke Experimental Theatre is designed primarily as a laboratory for the practicum activities of the acting and directing students, and is home to the student-directed weekly Mask Club productions during the school year. It features an elevator stage, sharply raked auditorium seating, and seats 280 people. Miriam Nelke, for whom the Nelke Theatre was named, was one of the first teachers of dramatic arts at Brigham Young Academy. Her students so appreciated her tutelage that they later formed the Nelke Reading Club in her honor, a Provo organization that existed for decades.

Pardoe Light Lab

The Pardoe light lab is located in D-290 adjacent to the Pardoe stage. It is equipped with a company switch, a 24 circuit dimmer system, a control console, and a 180 degree pipe grid allowing lighting fixtures to be mounted in all typical lighting directions. Supplied with Source 4 junior lighting fixtures and a variety of color media, templates, and accessories the lab is used to mock up and study the effects of lighting angles, color and other properties of light. The lab supports the needs of Arts Production and TMA Design and Technology area classes, students, staff and faculty.

Costume Shop

The Costume Shop supports departments in the College of Fine Arts and Communications, including Theatre and Media Arts, Dance, and Music. It is a professional shop with full-time and student employees working in areas of Costume Design, Draping and Patterning, Wardrobe, Costume Crafts, Costume Construction, and Theatrical Hair and Makeup.

Makeup Studio

The Makeup Studio supports both the makeup classes and full makeup application for the main season productions. Located in the heart of the theatre complex, the studio is equipped with lit portrait makeup mirrors, student and faculty makeup storage bins, a kitchen facility for prosthetic mixing and baking, and a hair and effects station. Each year close to 300 students are supported in their production training for makeup basic application, hair styling, prosthetics, air brush techniques and other contemporary makeup techniques.

Scene Shop

The BYU Scene shop is responsible for constructing the scenery and props for many Theatre and Media Arts, School of Music, and Dance productions. The scene shop is comprised of fully equipped woodworking, welding, and paint shops. Additionally, we have a vacuform machine for working with plastic, and a CNC hotwire machine for cutting Styrofoam scenery.

Prop Shop

The BYU Prop Shop purchases, locates, or constructs many of the hand props, furniture, and set decorations for Theatre and Media Arts, School of Music, and Dance productions. The prop shop has a small construction and assembly space, as well as a large area dedicated to hand prop and furniture storage.

Music Dance Theatre

Music Dance Theatre (MDT) classes, show production rehearsal halls, and production offices for MDT are located at the south west side of campus in the Richards Building (RB). For scheduling in this building call (801) 422-2563.

Media Arts Facilities

MEDIA ARTS OPEN LAB

The Media Arts Open Lab, located in F-233 HFAC, is an Apple computer lab run and maintained by the Theatre and Media Arts department. Though this lab is open to all students, it is primarily dedicated to the support of Theatre and Media Arts classes, and its software suites reflect these needs. All computers are equipped with the following software: Final Cut Studio 3, AVID Media Composer 5, Adobe Photoshop CS5.5, Adobe InDesign CS5.5, Adobe Illustrator CS5.5, Adobe After Effects CS5.5, Corel Painter 8, Google SketchUp Pro 7, Movie Magic Budgeting, Movie Magic Scheduling, Movie Magic Screenwriter Pro, Shake 4.1, Vectorworks 12, Microsoft Office 2011, REDAlert, REDrushes, and Strata 3D CX 5. Select computers also have Final Draft 8 (OL 1-10) and Gorilla (OL 19).
Throughout the semester there are TMA classes that meet in the OpenLab. Some classes are small enough that other students may continue to work quietly throughout the class time. Check with the instructor before using the computers during class times.

MEDIA ARTS CHECK OUT

The MA Check Out is a storage and check out facility located in D-221 HFAC. In conjunction with approved Media Arts classes, it supports the check out of equipment to beginning, intermediate and advanced Media Arts production courses (including fiction and non-fiction). The MA Check Out’s phone number is 801-422-6902.

HIGH-END EDITING LAB (“THE CAVE”)

The Cave is the Media Arts’ high-end editing environment. This state-of-the-art editing facility has 5 high-end edit stations, capable of working with multiple streams of uncompressed HD footage. In The Cave, we support transfers to and from HDCAM SR, HDCAM, Betacam SP, Digital Betacam, VHS, and Umatic, as well as real-time RED and MPEG4 conversions.
Software available includes Final Cut Studio 3, Adobe Master Collection CS 6, and Avid MediaComposer 6. The Cave is located in F-235 HFAC (801-422-7300).

TMA SOUND LAB/ADR BOOTH
(“THE POCKET”)

This small facility operates primarily as a stereo mixing and ADR facility. The room is set up to do sound sweetening for stereo mixes, based on the ProTools environment. The Pocket is located in F-236 HFAC (801-422-7300).

FILM STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES

Located on the grounds of the LDS Motion Picture Studio (MPS), the Film Student Support Services (FSSS) is the portion of the Media Arts Department’s presence at the MPS. The FSSS houses the Advanced Equipment Checkout. The FSSS supports advanced non-fiction and fiction projects.

Access to the FSSS and MPS lot requires advanced clearance given in MAL Access.

STUDIO E

Located on the grounds of the LDS Motion Picture Studio, Studio E supports Media Arts Capstone projects in mixing in 5.1 Surround. The room is equipped with a ProTools 8 HD with an HD2 hardware setup and Digidesign Command-8 Control Surface.